Mildew can be a problem in damp areas, such as bathroom tub and shower areas. Mildew stains frequently appear on caulk and grout lines in bathrooms. These mildew stains are unsightly and may release mold spores into the air that can create an unpleasant smell. General purpose cleaning products may be ineffective at removing these mildew stains.
Some commercial products, such as TILEX® Mold and Mildew Remover, are marketed for bathroom mildew removal. These commercial products typically contain bleach (sodium hypochlorite) to facilitate mildew removal and are dispensed using a spray bottle. When spraying a bleach solution to treat the mildew-affected area (e.g., a narrow line of caulk or grout), a relatively large amount of overspray typically is dispensed onto surrounding areas, such as tile, that are not affected by mildew. This overspray can waste a large amount of the bleach solution. The wasted bleach solution, when rinsed down the drain, may harm the environment and water supplies. Sprayed bleach solution can evaporate quickly when exposed to air, which can produce irritating bleach fumes and require one or more reapplications of spray. Additionally, these commercial products may require scrubbing of the mildew-affected area to remove the mildew.
The article “How to Get Rid of Black Mold in Your Shower Caulking” by Katelyn Fagan discloses an alternative way to dispense a mildew-removing solution. Lengths of commercially-available cotton coil can be immersed in a bowl of bleach solution and thereafter pressed against mildew-affected sections of caulk or grout. Surface tension can keep the wetted cotton coils removably attached to the grout or caulk line. Use of the wetted cotton coils can eliminate the overspray problem caused by spray bottles. In addition, the cotton coils can keep the grout or caulk wetted with bleach solution for a greater duration than is possible with a single-spray application of bleach solution. Although the cotton coil method generally consumes less bleach solution than the spray bottle method, the cotton coil method can still generate a significant amount of waste. Commercially-available cotton coils are typically large in diameter relative to narrow grout lines and thus may absorb more bleach solution than is necessary to treat the mildew-affected area. And to permit coil immersion in the bowl of bleach solution, the bowl typically must contain more bleach solution than is necessary for the treatment, which can further leave wasted solution.